Amnesia
by CamsthiSky
Summary: "He supposed he should have found it odd, waking up in a place he didn't remember falling asleep, but he didn't. His mind was eerily blank." An Amnesia fic. Luffy wakes up alone on an island and can't remember who he is. After meeting someone on the island, he journeys to find his friends. Meanwhile, the Strawhats look for their captain and look for the one who did this to him.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! I'm back! Lovely to see you again! I got this story challenge a while ago and, even though I've been really busy lately, I've been slowly hipping away at it. I didn't want to hide it any longer, so I figured I should post it.**

 **Thanks** shinxshinx1595 **for the challenge.**

 **Story Challenge: The challenge is an amnesia-Luffy. An attack from an enemy pirate that was meant to hit Nami sends Luffy into the ocean, which he lands on another island, where there will be brotherly love when Ace finds Luffy. Now, Ace has to help Luffy gain his memories again before the enemy pirate finds them and completely eradicates Luffy's mind with the Memory Memory Fruit.  
-This takes place after whatever arc you choose, and it can fit canon if you wish  
-Ace didn't greet Luffy's crew fully, but following the manga standards.**

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He supposed he should have found it odd, waking up in a place he didn't remember falling asleep, but he didn't. Blinking against the harsh sunlight, the boy wearily sat up, gazing around at his surroundings. Some part of his mind wondered if he should be worried at the exhaustion that seemed to drag him down, but another part was urging him to ignore it. _It's natural_ , something told him.

He accepted the weariness and moved on. No point in pondering over something if he didn't remember it.

He was surrounded by a whiteness that kept his eyes watering. Thousands of pure white grains of sand stretched on in one direction for miles, broken in the other direction by small ebbing waves of the ocean. The boy forced himself to trembling feet, blankly taking in everything and nothing.

His mind was eerily blank.

It wasn't a thought that surprised him; something within him even joked that it'd be weird if it wasn't, but that just made him feel even more offset. The boy wasn't sure if he wanted to listen to that part of his mind anymore. He felt off balance and strange and he wondered if he had ever felt like this before.

Because for the life of him, he couldn't remember what he was doing before he woke up half-buried in the sand. He didn't recall a single thing from his life—and he was even wondering if he really had one. He couldn't even remember his own name and there was this strange weight in his chest that he couldn't identify.

Something wet hit the sand at the boy's feet and he couldn't help but look up at the cloudless blue sky in bewilderment. His gaze fell back down to the drying sand, only to watch as more drops hit the ground. Baffled, the boy raised a shaking hand to his cheeks. He was stunned by the wetness tracking down his face, warm tears dripping off of his chin. He was crying. He was shedding tears and he didn't even know why.

As soon as the tears registered, another realization crashed down upon his shoulders, its weight so large that the boy could no longer stand. His legs buckled and the boy dropped to his knees, hands coming up to clutch at his heart. His breathing hitched and the boy was forced to come face to face with reality.

 _He was alone_.


	2. Chapter 2

**So here's the official first chapter. I hope you like it. I've been working on it for a while. Already up to chapter 4. Anyways, if you want to know the status of any of my stories, just check out my profile. I update it every time I write, even if it's just a couple hundred words. So yeah. Anyways, leave a review on your way out, will ya? I'd appreciate it. Thanks!**

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Landing on another strange island during his search for Teach hadn't been Ace's brightest plan, but he was running low on supplies and if he kept going like he was, he would run out before he reached the island that Teach had been rumored to have been spotted on.

Ace sighed and looked around in distaste. It was just his luck. There was nothing but sand anywhere. He clicked his tongue, and forced himself to keep walking. Maybe there was something else, a village or town or something, hidden on the other side of the island. Ace followed the shore, unsure of whether he had chosen the right island to land on or not.

It was a death sentence, Marco had once told him, to be out on the sea without food or water. Thatch had even expressed that it was one of the worst ways to die. Ace hadn't been so sure he agreed with his dead crew mate at the time, but now that he was about to collapse from dehydration, he couldn't help but wonder if Thatch's words rang true.

Shaking his head, Ace squashed those thoughts before they could fully form. He wasn't dead yet, and if he had anything to say about it, he wouldn't be dead any time soon. He pushed forward with newfound determination.

Only to halt to a stop two seconds later. With bated breath, Ace ghosted forward, a numb feeling settling in his chest. The sound of someone sobbing became increasingly clearer as he got closer. He moved at a snail's pace, wondering why he wasn't able to feel his hands anymore as they clenched and unclenched—because wasn't his body literally fire? He shouldn't be able to feel this cold. He sped up as the cries intensified, his heart heavy. Before he knew it, he was sprinting.

Ace could see a figure hunched over itself in the distance. Really, it was hard to miss the way the figure's body and shadow contrasted against the stark white sand, and Ace couldn't help but be reminded of a dark stain on white cloth. Ace immediately dismissed that thought. He was closer now and he understood _why_ his heart had decided to beat louder than a drum in his ears. He understood _why_ his stomach was doing cartwheels inside him.

It was a boy, with messy black hair and a familiar scar running under his left eye, and Ace could only urge his body to go faster. He kicked up sand in his haste, but he hardly noticed. He pumped all of his strength into his legs until he was standing in front of the crying boy, huffing from his exertion.

"Luffy," Ace whispered, dropping to his knees. His voice is just an exhale of breath.

The boy startled and looked up at Ace with teary wide eyes. Ace flinched as he was assaulted with a myriad of early memories, only to push them back with a growl. He didn't have time to reminisce about the past. Carefully—because Luffy looked like he could shatter at any given moment—Ace brought up a gentle hand, laying it gingerly on the wide-eyed boy's shoulder.

"I thought you were past the crybaby stage, Lu," Ace joked lightly, even as his heart felt heavy. He hoped to incite any sort of smile onto the boy's face. Anything would be better than that sorrowful expression that contorted the boy's features in a way that sent sharp pangs shooting through Ace's chest.

Unfortunately, the joke was only met with confusion.

"Lu?" the boy asked tentatively, and Ace stilled at the odd reaction. He looked the boy up and down. The tears had stopped in his surprise, just like old times. Sometimes the boy's simple-mindedness had its perks.

"Sorry Luffy," Ace said, smiling weakly. "I guess I haven't called you that in quite a while, huh? I didn't think you were the one to get mad over a nickname, though."

"Lu...Luffy?" the boy asked, that strange gleam in his eyes again. Ace's smile faltered.

"Yeah," Ace nodded, frowning. If this was a joke, he didn't like it one bit. Then again, Luffy couldn't lie to save his life. "What's up with you? Why are you acting so weird, Luffy? It's kind of freaking me out, little bro."

"Luffy," the boy said, mouth saying the name again and again, as if testing how the word felt on his tongue. "Luffy. Luffy."

"Stop doing that, Luffy," Ace said, his tone chilling. "I haven't seen you for months and I've been worried sick. Especially after I heard you stormed Enies Lobby."

"Enies...Lobby," the boy said, a blank look washing over his face. Ace stared at the boy, at those strange yet so familiar eyes that hid so much fear and sorrow behind them when all they should be holding was happiness and joy. What was going on?

"I-I'm sorry," the dark-haired boy finally said, something flashing in his eyes that Ace couldn't quite recognize. "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"What are you talking about, Luffy?" Ace asked, his smile weak, nervous.

The boy scowled at him. "Stop that."

"Stop what?" Ace asked, baffled at the sudden change of topic. Sure Luffy got distracted easily, but this didn't really seem like Luffy's style. He was too focused on something. It was worrying Ace, and again, the logia could only wonder what in the hell was going on.

"Stop doing that," the boy growled. "You keep calling me that...that name."

Ace raised an eyebrow. "You want me to stop calling you the name I've called you for the last ten years," Ace said, tone accusing as he watched the boy look up in surprise at Ace's words.

"Ten years?" the boy whispered, an excited light filling his terribly blank face. Ace allowed himself to take a deep breath, happy that his happy go-lucky brother wasn't all that far away after all. The boy's face filled with joy and relief. "So you know me, then?"

"'Course I know you, you knucklehead-"

Ace froze as sharp eyes suddenly looked at the boy in a new light. The logia's lips parted as he stared down his excited brother, dread shooting through him once more.

"You don't know who I am, do you?"

The boy flinched and shrank in on himself timidly, and Ace couldn't help but stare at his little brother, stunned. He had never seen the boy act so shy. Luffy was a strange boy, but an outgoing one. He was a boy who constantly searched for the call of adventure, always diving headfirst into trouble. Seeing him as a scared little boy had Ace feeling as if someone had just dumped ice cold water down his back. This wasn't his little brother.

And Ace could understand why the boy kept his distance. Ace knew why the boy was acting so different, but he couldn't help but compare the differences between this boy and Luffy, his younger brother. With his memories gone, the boy was like a shell of his former shell. The boy had no clue of his life before waking up at the beach, and therefore, he wasn't shaped in the same way Luffy had been.

There was no promise with Shanks. There was no bond with his precious older brothers. There were no promises between Ace and Luffy. The boy was no longer a brother. He was no longer a pirate captain. He wasn't Strawhat Luffy, the one who had declared war against the World Government to save his friend. Luffy wasn't in that body anymore. This was a Luffy who had been wiped clean; a piece of clay that had yet to be molded.

But somehow, it was still Luffy. Ace couldn't possibly see the boy as anyone else.

Ace sighed. This was going to take some getting used to, but Ace was Luffy's big brother. He'd go through hell and back if it meant protecting the one most precious to him. Crouching to get a better look at the younger boy's timid face, Ace couldn't help but grin. It wasn't the same one that he had encountered months ago in a dried up country—this one was sharper, more defined—but it was certainly one that had gone through many a battle with his head held high. Even if he didn't have his memories, Ace knew that, without a doubt, this was his little brother.

"Well," Ace said, gaining Luffy's attention—and it was Luffy now because Ace had accepted his little brother no matter what state his mind was in. "Why don't we just see if we can fix that, little brother."


	3. Chapter 3

**Another chapter up! Well, I hope you guys like this one! And thanks to all of you who reviewed!**

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Luffy—his heart felt so light and his mind was singing wonderful praises to the one who had made his name known to him—followed the strange man along the shore, back the way the man had come.

Not that he had any choice in the matter. The man was holding onto his wrist like a vise, and Luffy was pretty much just along for the ride. He could have struggled, but as he had just been informed, this man was his _brother_. Luffy didn't think it would be all that nice to just run away.

And besides. This way, in this man's—his _brother's_ —company, Luffy wasn't alone anymore. He no longer felt that metal band around his chest and he finally felt as if he could breathe. His mind didn't know who this guy was, but it was obvious in the way Luffy was automatically relaxing as the man chattered on, that his body did.

"Excuse me," Luffy said quietly, and the man shut his mouth and tensed, and Luffy had a feeling he had done something terribly, _terribly_ wrong. But then the man relaxed and Luffy let out the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding.

The man half-turned towards him, just enough that Luffy could see his face over the man's right shoulder. "What's up, Luffy?"

The boy's eyebrows crumpled in confusion. Would he ever get used to that warm and kind and _brotherly_ voice? Probably not, since he couldn't remember it ever being directed towards him before. But obviously it had, since this guy had declared that they were brothers and had been speaking to him the same way since before he had known about Luffy's amnesia.

Amnesia. What a stupid word. He was pretty sure that amnesia meant a loss of memory, not a loss of your entire being. He felt lost and small without a sense of self and it frustrated and scared him to no end. He could barely understand what was happening and _why_ it was happening.

"Luffy?" The man asked, slowing down his almost-jog to a casual walk and pulling Luffy forward to walk beside him. "Are you okay? Did you want something?"

Oh right. He had stopped the man's chatter for a reason. It wouldn't do well to get distracted when he had important questions to ask.

"What's your name?" Luffy asked, barely breathing the question.

The man looked startled by the question, but didn't react negatively like Luffy had expected him to. Instead, he just seemed a little baffled at the fact that Luffy didn't know it already.

"Didn't I tell you already?" he wondered. Luffy just shook his head, keeping an eye on the man's thoughtful expression. "Oh. My name's Ace. I'm your big brother and I'm older than you by three years."

Luffy almost felt exasperated by that statement. Was he trying to turn this into some sort of contest? Some part of Luffy, the part that probably still remembered who this man was and the way his life had been before, was laughing at his brother's antics. That part of him was amused that Ace had to be superior in _everything_ they did, even if it was just age.

"Well," Luffy said, attempting to push away the potency of emotions that the other part of him was forcing onto him, "you know about me, right? About my life?"

Ace shrugged. An easy smile graced his features and Luffy relaxed, feeling more and more comfortable in his brother's presence. It was odd, this effect that Ace was having on him, but it wasn't unpleasant. Luffy felt absolutely and completely safe under Ace's watchful eye, a feeling he couldn't ever remember feeling before.

"That's kind of a tough question, Lu," Ace said, bringing a hand up to scratch the back of his head. "I'm not really sure how to answer it."

"Try?" Luffy suggested.

Ace chuckled and let go of Luffy's wrist only to raise them up over his head in a stretch. When he put them down, he stopped walking and turned fully towards his little brother. Ace raised a teasing eyebrow. "Usually you demand, not ask. I wonder if you hit your head or something."

Luffy wasn't listening to Ace anymore, though, choosing instead to stare at something that had caught his eye.

Ace was bare-chested, without a shirt for whatever reason—although, Luffy could hardly talk since all he was wearing was an open blue vest, shorts, sandals, and some sort of glass band around his arm. But Ace was shirtless and Luffy was able to clearly see the tattoos his brother was sporting quite clearly.

Luffy ignored the larger tattoo on Ace's back in favor of the one running down his left arm. At first glance, it had just looked like the tattoo artist had messed up Ace's name and just crossed out the _S_ to fix his mistake, but Luffy doubted someone like Ace would have stood for that. So that just left the theory that the crossed out _S_ was intentional and Luffy wasn't sure why that bothered him so much.

"Luffy?"

Wide eyes moved to Ace's concerned frown before moving to meet the man's scrutinizing gaze. Luffy didn't falter under the obvious inspection. Instead, he just turned back to stare at the tattoo on Ace's arm. He wasn't sure what it was about it that was troubling him. It was a tattoo on another person, so why should it have mattered to Luffy?

"Luffy? What's wrong?"

A gentle hand touched Luffy's shoulder and the boy looked up at Ace again, baffled at this predicament. Ace's frown had deepened, and he almost looked frightened. Luffy had no idea what could cause Ace to look this way, but there was a sense of wrongness that resounded within Luffy, that knowing part of him smacking at his brain and screaming at him to _fix this_. To _fix his big brother._ To _make his big brother happy again_.

"Ace?"

"Luffy. Why are you crying?"

Luffy blinked, scrubbing at his cheeks with his hands, only to be surprised when they came back wet. Why did he always seem to start crying without noticing? It was like his body knew to react, but his mind was always a step behind, mystified at what his body was doing.

"I- I don't really know," Luffy sniffed. "I think I'm sad."

Ace smiled fondly, sounding breathlessly exasperated. "What are you sad about?"

The tears flowed faster and Luffy hid his face in his hands, unsure of the exact reason he was reacting this way. Luffy shook his head. "I- I d-don't know," Luffy breathed. "I saw your tattoo and it made me sad but it's a tattoo and it's not even mine and I'm crying over it-"

"Okay," Ace interrupted, holding his hands up to placate Luffy. "Okay. I think I get it. Whatever's messed up your memory didn't do too good a job, and for that we should be grateful."

Luffy peered up at Ace. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Sabo," Ace said and Luffy felt another wave of sadness wash over him, this time tinted with a fondness for the name that he couldn't explain. "And the fact that you seem to react to things that, as an amnesiac-"

Luffy's expression soured. "Please don't."

"Right. Well, as someone who has lost their memory, you shouldn't know anything about the meaning of my tattoo, but you're crying. That means that this tattoo means something to you. Even if you can't remember it right now, it means that it's not lost forever."

"When did you get so smart?" Luffy asked, not really thinking about the words before they left his mouth.

Luffy got hit on top of the head for that one, but for some reason, it hardly stung. "Brat," Ace said teasingly. "Respect your elders."

"You said you were only three years older!" Luffy argued, holding his head despite not really being hurt.

"That still means I'm older," Ace said smugly. "Which means you have to listen to me."

"That's not fair!" Luffy yelled. Before he knew it, Luffy was smiling. His smile fell as suddenly as it came, a different thought coming to his head, choking him. "Who's Sabo?"

Ace didn't answer for a moment, oddly pensive. "Sabo is...Sabo is our brother. He's your big brother, but he's not with us anymore."

Luffy was overcome by emotion, eyes widening in realization. That's what the crossed out _S_ meant. In his head, that knowing part of him was screaming at him, trying to catch his attention. Trying to tell him something.

Flickers of... _something_ flashed before his eyes and Luffy could almost hear Ace's voice—younger, higher-pitched—echoing inside his head.

" _We'll definitely live a life without regrets."_

"Lu…."

Luffy stared back at Ace's bewildered gaze uncomprehendingly. Then it occurred to Luffy that he might have said his brother's words out loud, repeating them as he heard them echoing in his mind. Well, that was certainly interesting. He prepared himself for the worst.

But what he hadn't prepared himself for was Ace's complete and utter happiness. All of the sudden, Ace just gathered the younger boy into his arms and laughed—it sounded so carefree and cheerful and happy that Luffy's heart ached and he couldn't help but wonder what it was it felt like he was missing.

"Ace?" he asked, for some reason not bothered by the fact that his brother was practically squeezing the life out of him. That's when a thought popped into his head, and Luffy was starting to wonder if this was what his life would be like from now on. Remembering random things and thinking random thoughts as bits and pieces started to come back to him slowly. "I thought you really didn't like hugs. You hit me every time I tried before."

"I'm _happy_ , Luffy," Ace reprimanded him lightly, his scowl ruined by the pure joy that Luffy couldn't ever recall seeing on his face—which really wasn't a big deal, since he couldn't really remember that much. Still, it _felt_ like a big deal.

"Why are you happy?" Luffy asked, not sure he was understanding this situation. "Are we going to eat?"

Ace sighed and let him go, keeping both hands on Luffy's shoulders as he stepped backed. Looking into Luffy's wide, uncomprehending eyes, his mouth quirked into a small smile. "You're a little slow on the uptake, Luffy. I'm happy because you're starting to remember things."

"Yeah," Luffy said slowly, still trying to figure this all out. "But why would you be happy that I'm remembering things like words?"

Ace hummed thoughtfully. "Well, it's a step forward, isn't it? We've been here less than an hour and the moment we met, you remembered nothing and now you remember something. That's progress, right?"

Luffy felt unsure. "I guess."

Ace let go of his clamp on Luffy's shoulder and clapped his hands, rubbing them together in thought. At least, it looked like he was thinking to Luffy, but about what, the younger boy wasn't sure. Luffy wasn't all that keen on thinking as he fidgeted. He was eager to do… _something_. To move. To do something other than just stand here and talk. He was restless.

"What are you doing?" Luffy finally asked.

Ace didn't move. "Thinking."

"About what?"

"Things."

"What things?"

"Luffy."

"What?"

"Be quiet for two seconds."

Luffy huffed exasperatedly but got over it quickly. Whatever Ace was thinking about had to be important if he was happy one minute and then absolutely serious the next. Luffy waited for a couple more minutes before the boredom seemed to just itch at him.

" _Ace_."

" _What?_ "

Luffy's stomach growled then, answering Ace's question without words. And Luffy didn't feel any bit ashamed about admitting it, either, He was starving. He felt like he could eat a whole gorilla, like the one on back on-

Luffy blinked, trying to remember where that train of thought had been going. Something about eating a giant animal on an island. He dismissed the thought when he didn't come up with an answer the moment he tried to remember. It was a mystery he wasn't all too interested in figuring out right now. If Ace was right, and whatever that made him lose his memory didn't do a good job, then the memory would probably come back to him eventually.

"You're hungry," Ace deadpanned. "Why am I not surprised?"

Luffy shrugged and tugged on his brother's shorts. "Hey, Ace. I don't want to eat sand."

Ace rolled his eyes as he too stock of their surroundings. There really was nothing around. Just sand and the like.

"I'm not going to make you eat sand. Once we get back to Striker, we can have a snack with whatever I have left and then we'll set sail. If we leave now, then maybe we can get to the next island before tomorrow," Ace muttered, but it sounded more like he was talking to himself.

"Striker?" Luffy echoed blankly.

"My boat. It runs on my devil fruit powers."

Luffy scowled. "Stop doing that."

Ace scratched the back of his head, looking more than puzzled. "Doing what?"

"Acting as if I know what you're talking about. I don't know anything about anything and you keep talking to me like you expect me to understand," Luffy said.

Ace waved a hand before throwing an arm around his little brother's shoulders and beginning to walk forward, dragging Luffy with him. Luffy hadn't noticed it before, but Ace was _really_ warm. And in the hot sun, surrounding by burning sand, it was almost uncomfortable. But Luffy didn't shrug the arm off, surprisingly too happy with his older brother's affection to care about how warm his skin was.

"Come with me, little brother," Ace smirked. "I'll tell you everything you need to know."

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 **Thanks for everything! Please read and review!**

 **Also, to _Kimonohi Tsuki_ : Thanks for your review! My dad speaks Spanish, but I don't want to completely butcher it. ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here you guys go. I'm dead tired. Stressed. Want to go to bed. i have to get up early tomorrow and I haven't been sleeping well. mostly because I've had this weird urge to write. I'm making some headway on the next chapter, promise. But don't expect it to be right away. Also, this chapter gives you some hints into what's _really_ happening to Luffy. Let me know what you guys think. It'd absolutely make my day if you left a review.**

 **And thanks to those of you who reviewed last chapter. If I didn't reply to you already, I am super sorry, but I don't have the energy to go and do it now. Thanks a bunch, though. I do really appreciate it.**

 **Anyways, enjoy!**

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"Wait," Luffy said, holding a hand up to stop Ace from talking. "So let me guess this straight. I ate a devil fruit, became a rubber man, and became the captain of a ship? So I have crew members? And we're both pirates?"

Ace shrugged. "Pretty much. I'm not saying that's the end of it, since I wasn't with you for a lot of the time since I set out from Dawn Island, but that's what I know about you."

Luffy let that all settle. Ace had told him about his devil fruit powers, and while he had known what devil fruits were, he hadn't realized that he himself had eaten one. Or that he and Ace had promised to become pirates and have the most freedom in the whole world. Or that he had become the pirate captain of the Strawhat pirates.

It was a lot to take in. So what Luffy did was give his brother a blank stare and say, "Okay."

Ace raised an eyebrow. "You're just going to accept it?"

Luffy shrugged. "I don't think you would lie to me. So why not? It sounds right."

And yet it sounded so wrong. Like something was missing. Something important. But for the life of him, Luffy couldn't figure it out. Still, he decided he would try and be patient and let the memories come back on their own. While Ace had been talking, flashes, memories had started to leak through and Luffy could practically see some of what Ace had described.

Maybe whatever made him lose his memory really _hadn't_ done such a good job. H ewasn't sure if memories were supposed to come back this fast.

They were on Ace's skiff now, traveling over the ocean via fire powered boat. Although, it was a tight fit that left both pirates standing, holding onto the small mast. Ace had promised that they were almost to the next island, and Luffy couldn't help but hope that they really were. As much as he trusted Ace to be telling the truth, he also felt like seeing his wanted poster for himself couldn't hurt. It would feel like a physical confirmation that this truly was his life, and not something his older brother had made up.

That sense of wrongness was still messing with his head.

"There it is," Ace said, pointing to a dark mass of an island that Luffy could barely make out through the gloom of night. "We were lucky that this island was so close to that other one, otherwise I'm not sure we would have made it."

It was true. They were out of supplies and meat. There wasn't any more food, it having been devoured by the two brothers hours before.

"I'm still hungry," Luffy whined.

"Don't remind me," Ace muttered before perking up. "Well, we might as well stop by a bar. Kill two birds with one stone. We eat while gathering information about where your crew is. As much as I hate to admit it, they might have a better chance of getting your memory to return than I would. You've sailed with them for quite some time."

"Do you know them?" Luffy asked.

Ace shrugged. "Probably not all of them, but I've met a few."

"What are they like?"

"Well," Ace said slowly, as if gathering his thoughts. "Let's see. In Alabasta—where we last met—you had five crew mates and one potential crew mate."

"One potential?" Luffy wondered. "What does potential mean?"

Ace tripped up on that one. "Uh, like, um, it means something like would-be. It was possible that she might join your crew. She was princess, though, and last I heard, she was still putting Alabasta back together, so I don't think she actually joined."

"Oh," Luffy said, finding himself oddly disappointed. A princess sounded like a cool addition to his crew, but if she hadn't stayed onboard, then Luffy guessed he'd just have to accept it.

He seemed to be accepting a lot of what Ace was telling him, but Luffy found he really had no other option. He could do nothing but hope that his brother was telling him the truth. So he accepted his words as fact and hoped for the best. He trusted Ace.

Ace grinned at him. "Don't worry about it, Luffy. I've met some of your crew before and I know that Princess Vivi wasn't the only interesting one you had onboard. You have a reindeer doctor."

A flash of a grinning, blue-nosed reindeer appeared for a split second, making his chest ache. And then it was gone. All the emotions behind that memory locked away again. It was aggravating how often this was happening.

"I just want to get to that stupid island already," Luffy grumbled.

Ace just laughed. "You and me both, Luffy."

* * *

Nami pushed her way back to consciousness slowly. When she blinked her eyes open, she stared uncomprehendingly at the ceiling of her cabin, nothing registering for a moment. Everything around her was quiet, and not the peaceful kind—if there ever was a peaceful silence on the Strawhat ship. But the air felt tense, heavy, like it was waiting for something to happen.

But what was it? Why did it seem like the whole ship was holding its breath, waiting for something that would alter their crews' lives forever.

" _Idiot!_ " someone yelled from outside, shattering the heavy atmosphere that had surrounded the ship. " _Are you even trying!?_ "

Nami, curiosity officially peeked, made to stand up from her bed, only to fall back down, marginally dizzier than she had been the moment before. After taking a deep breath, the redhead sat up again and pushed herself up into a standing position. This time she only wobbled slightly, but managed to steady herself and push her way across the cabin and out the door to look down at the grassy deck of the Thousand Sunny.

And what she saw completely baffled her.

"Sanji?" she asked tentatively, staring at the cook as he took a drag from his cigarette.

The blond was at the rails, gazing down at the water with a concerned frown. At her call, he spun towards her, a surprised, but relieved expression on his face.

"Chopper!" Sanji yelled to the door of the infirmary. "Chopper, get out here! Nami's awake!"

Surprisingly, Sanji just gave the redhead a strained smile and turned his gaze back to the ocean down below. He didn't even try to flirt with her, and that's what Nami found absolutely terrifying. It meant that something was completely and utterly wrong.

Chopper came running out a few seconds later, Brook no more than two steps behind the reindeer. Nami winced when she caught sight of the bags underneath the poor doctor's eyes. Chopper looked exhausted and Nami wasn't sure why.

"Nami?" Chopper asked hopefully. "Are you okay? Do you remember what happened?"

The navigator shook her head as Chopper and Brook approached her. She couldn't help but feel like she was kicking a puppy as she watched Chopper's expression turn from hopeful to resigned. Nami had never felt guiltier for something she couldn't help more than now.

"Can you tell me?" Nami asked softly. "Can you tell me what happened? The last thing I remember is that other pirate attacking us after you saved his life."

"You hit your head," the doctor told her quietly. Chopper turned away then, looking ashamed and on the verge of tears. "I'm so sorry, Nami. This is all my fault. If I hadn't saved that guy then none of this would have happened!"

"Chopper! It's okay!" Nami placated, crouching down so that she didn't feel as if she were looking down on him so much. "Never apologize for doing what you believe to be right. You're a doctor, and we all know that you love to save people. So don't apologize for what you love to do."

Chopper sniffled miserably but nodded. "That's what Sanji said, too."

"Well, Sanji's right. Even if I don't know all the details, I'm sure that nobody blames you," Nami reassured him.

"Thank you, Nami-san," Brook said seriously as they watched Chopper walk back to the infirmary. "He's really been blaming himself for everything that happened. We haven't been to cheer him up at all."

"What _did_ happen?" Nami asked. "And where is everyone else?"

Brook sighed morosely. "As soon as that man woke up, he attacked Chopper and Zoro, who was keeping watch. He did something to Zoro then to affect his memory. When we all gathered, the man told us he was a devil fruit user. Whoever he touched, their memory could be altered or affected in some way."

"Is Zoro alright?" Nami asked, worried for her crew.

She could vaguely remember something like what Brook was talking about, but the details were fuzzy. She remembered that Chopper had shouted at them not to let the guy touch them in any way. Which meant long-ranged attacks would be best. And that was basically just Nami, Usopp, and Franky.

"Zoro is fine," Brook said. "He only erased the few seconds of when he awoke since he didn't have a lot of strength in the first place. It wasn't enough to affect him greatly, but he was dazed for a few moments. Long enough to get sent flying."

Nami inhaled sharply, the scene coming back to her. "That's when Luffy tried to attack, wasn't it?" Nami asked.

Brook nodded. "Sanji held him back to let you, and the other long range fighters attack while Zoro and I distracted him with our swords. But there was a problem."

"Problem?" Nami asked. "What kind of problem?"

Sighing, Brook rubbed a bony hand along the arm of his suit jacket. "He knew his weakness and could combat against it. Somehow he could tell right away who was a long range attacker and who was not. He went after you and the others before Zoro, Sanji, or Luffy, or any of us really, could react. He stabbed Usopp."

Nami gasped. "Is he alright?"

Brook nodded. "He's recovering in the infirmary right now. Chopper's taking care of him."

Nami nodded numbly. She felt frozen down to her very soul. Usopp had been _stabbed_. That meant that the man that they thought they could fight using long range weapons knew his weakness, assessing who could defeat him, and went after them before they could organize.

"Anything?" Nami suddenly heard Sanji ask the water. Brook and Nami both turned towards the cook. There was a moment of pure silence and Nami was going to ask if Sanji's brain was somehow affected in their fight like Zoro's had been, but then-

"Nothing," a voice muttered. "I can't find him anywhere."

And suddenly the icy feeling was a frozen tundra. Limbs barely working, lips trembling, Nami turned to Brook and asked, "What are they looking for?"

Brook looked at Nami, then. His face, since he was a skeleton, was practically unreadable, but Nami couldn't help but wonder if the musician was able to, would he be crying at that moment, because that's pretty much all that Nami wanted to do.

"It's Luffy-san," Brook finally revealed. "They're looking for the captain."

"Brook," Nami said. "Tell me what happened."

"After Usopp was stabbed," a different voice interrupted, one belonging to the archaeologist on the ship, "the pirate went after you. You couldn't react in time, and he almost touched you."

"But…?" Nami prompted, knowing there was more to this story than that.

"But Luffy-san dived in front of you at exactly the right time," Brook finished. "The ferocity of the attack sent Luffy-san into the ocean. Zoro's confident he can still be saved, even though it's been over a few hours."

"Brook," Sanji called. "Don't think like that. This is Luffy we're talking about. Our captain wouldn't let a little thing like the ocean get in his way of becoming the Pirate King. Luffy is still alive."

That's when Zoro pulled himself over the rail, sopping wet and shirtless. He was still heavily bandaged from Thriller Bark, but said nothing about his sopping bandages and weeping wounds that had to be irritated by the salt water.

"Luffy is Luffy," Zoro snorted. "I couldn't find him, which means he's alive. He's going to be the King, and he has to be alive to manage that. Luffy is alive, and all we can do now is have faith in our captain."

Nami nodded at Brook and, although she felt a little guilty for being the reason Luffy had been sent into the ocean, smiled. "The idiot wouldn't want us to be moping around like this. We'll find him. If he's not in the ocean, then he probably washed up on an island."

"So," Robin said, a small smile blossoming on her face, "Let's go find our captain, yes?"

* * *

 **So? What did you guys think? These chapters are a little shorter than I'm used to, so I'll try to get the next one up as soon as I can. I just have a lot going on at the moment.**

 **Please leave a review! Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

**For some reason, this was a pain to write at first. I'm not really too sure why, but it was. Still, I have to say this chapter is kind of more of a plot mover than the others. Things are really going to start picking up.**

 **Again, thanks for all those reviews, follows, and favorites! I appreciate the gesture and they really helped me get my butt in gear. So, yeah. This chapter has been written since last Saturday and I've been spending a week editing. I wanted to make sure it was perfect. So, sorry about the wait, but here you go!**

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Ace sighed into his meal. He missed Thatch's cooking more than he cared to admit. Still, food was food, and if left alone, his meal would probably get stolen by greedy, rubbery limbs.

Or it would have, if Luffy had still had his memory. As it was, Luffy kept to his own food while Ace moped into his sandwich. He really should have been glad that Luffy wasn't trying to steal his dinner, but it just reminded Ace of what it was that was missing. All of the oddities just made him want to help his brother get back to the way he was before.

"So," Luffy said, pushing his food around with his fork in a very un-Luffy-like way. "What happens now, big brother?"

And while Ace was more than overjoyed that Luffy had accepted him as a brother, even with his impaired memory, he couldn't help but feel sad for the all the trouble Luffy seemed to get himself in. How did someone lose all of their memories like that in the first place?

Something else was bothering him, as well. Namely, Luffy's hatless head. Where was his little brother's hat that Luffy more often than not treasured over his own life? After ten years of trouble, had the straw hat finally been lost to the Grand Line? If so, Ace could only imagine Luffy's devastation when he regained his memories.

"Ace," Luffy whined, poking the logia in the arm. "Is anybody in there?"

Ace's brow furrowed as he turned to his little brother. "What?"

"I asked you what we're going to do now that we've eaten," Luffy said. "How do we find my crew?"

Ace smirked and gave his little brother a wink, turning to the bartender that had come over to check on them.

"Excuse me, sir," Ace called out, catching the bartender's—and half the bar's other occupants—attention. "I was wondering if you had any information on the whereabouts of the Strawhat Pirates."

The man snorted, picking up a glass and wiping it down as his eyes twinkled in amusement. "You and everyone else," Mr. Bartender said. "The navy's been in a frenzy trying to catch those upstarts after the fiasco at Enies Lobby. You a bounty hunter?"

Ace shook his head, smile never leaving his face. "Nah. Just a pirate hunting down another pirate's crew."

The man's eyebrows shot up. "Now that I take a closer look, you do have an awful resemblance to Fire Fist Ace. Why would a Whitebeard Pirate be hunting for a rookie's crew?"

"Need to have a chat with them," Ace said vaguely. "By the way, you wouldn't happen to have any wanted posters, would you?"

The man gestured to the wall. "'S not my business to get involved with pirate affairs," the man said reluctantly. "Have at 'em."

Ace bowed his head gratefully. "I appreciate it."

Ace turned back to Luffy, noticing the boy's eager gleam.

"What?"

The boy just shrugged, standing up from his stool. "You never told me you were a part of the Whitebeard Pirates. Didn't you want to be captain of your own ship?"

Ace didn't answer Luffy, memories of the Spade Pirates popping into his mind. He remembered what it was like to be eager to make a name for himself as a captain, but he found peace under Whitebeard's flag. He was accepted there, even if he was Gol D. Roger's son.

Instead of saying all of that, Ace just settled for, "It's a story for another time."

Luffy, probably sensing that he shouldn't pry any further, walked over to the wall full of bounty posters, but Ace stayed where he was, pondering Luffy's question.

 _Didn't you want to be captain of your own ship?_

How could Luffy know that unless his memories were returning? Did this mean Luffy was starting to remember more? Was Ace actually helping in all of this twistedness? Sighing, Ace just followed Luffy.

The wall was arranged by crew. In one corner, there was a myriad of posters from Ace's own crew, including his own, but those weren't the ones he was looking for. Turning away from the posters that sent a pang of homesickness resounding through him, Ace sought out the bounties he and Luffy were actually looking for.

"Roronoa Zoro," Luffy whispered, wide eyes sparkling as he looked down the names on the wanted posters of his crew. "Black Leg Sanji. Nico Robin. Cat Thief Nami. Cyborg Franky. Cotton Candy Lover Chopper. Are all these people really on my crew?"

Ace frowned a little, reading over the bounties again. Eyebrows furrowing, he turned to Luffy, a little confused. "You missed one."

"What?"

"You missed one," Ace repeated, tapping on the poster with the guy in mask. "This one. You missed the Sniper King poster. You didn't say it."

Tilting his head to the side, Luffy hummed and squinted his eyes at the wanted poster that held the masked man. Luffy stepped a tiny bit closer before he shook his head and turned back to Ace.

"What?" Ace asked immediately. "Did you remember anything?"

Luffy shrugged. "I dunno. When I look at that poster, I guess I feel nostalgic, but I don't feel like I have a bond with him. Wouldn't I have a bond with my crew mate if I was his captain?"

"Are you trying to tell me that this guy isn't on your crew? He fought with you at Enies Lobby," Ace argued as quietly as he could. "He followed your orders when you told him to burn down the flag of the World Government. He's on your crew."

Luffy's brow furrowed as he thought, his cheeks flushing a bit as well. Eventually, his whole face started to go red. The idiot had probably stopped breathing in order to make himself concentrate on thinking harder. With a dramatic gasp, the boy let his breath out.

Turning to Ace, Luffy said, in the blankest, most emotionless voice Ace had ever heard, "Sniper King isn't one of my crewmates. I think he fought with us, but I don't think I ever saw him after that."

"You think?" Ace asked skeptically.

Luffy's rare annoyance came out to say hello then. "Well, it's not like I can be one hundred percent sure," he snapped. "If you hadn't noticed, I'm sort of low on memories at the moment."

Ace chuckled slightly and turned away from his little brother. Luffy wasn't exactly wrong, but Ace had wanted a little more confirmation than that. He was curious to hear about the story behind Sniper King, since from what Ace had heard, the masked man had played a large part in the battle of Enies Lobby.

But maybe he was just someone who had been passing through Water 7 and Luffy, with his habit of befriending odd people, had convinced the guy to help them save Nico Robin. It sounded plausible in his head.

But, then again, looking at the poster, Ace was struck with a bout of familiarity. Sniper king seemed like someone he had met before, but Ace couldn't quite put his finger on who it was. Whoever it was, though, obviously hadn't wanted his face to be captured on camera to be put on a wanted poster. _What a coward_ , Ace thought, chuckling inwardly.

Wait a minute. Coward? Who was it that he met before that was such a big coward Ace had taken notice of it straight away? The name was just on the tip of his tongue, a picture of their face so close to forming in his head. Why couldn't he think of it?

"Usopp," Ace said out loud, proud that he found the name he was looking for. A dark-haired kid about the same age as Luffy sporting a long nose and large eyes came to mind as he thought more about it. Of course he remembered now. It was Luffy's crewmate from Alabasta. The one who had been scared of anything and everything they faced.

"Usopp?" Luffy asked, a look of confusion shadowing his face. "What's that?"

"You mean who," Ace said as they walked back over to their food. The logia user left some beris for the bartender before leading Luffy outside. "He's on your crew. The one in the mask."

Luffy's brow scrunched up. "No he's not."

Ace chuckled again, this time loudly. "Whatever you say, Lu. Just remember what I said when you find out for real."

"What are you talking about now?" Luffy sounded exasperated, like he was tired of not knowing anything that was happening. It was odd, as the boy was normal clueless about everything, but Ace would probably get real tired of trying to keep up with things if he lost his memories, too.

"Don't worry about it, Luffy," Ace said, waving his little brother off. "Now that we got some food, what about we restock and see if anybody else knows about your crew?"

Luffy just sighed. "Fine."

The two pirates walked in silence towards a stall selling different kinds of fruits and vegetables. It was exactly what Ace needed, except, just dried and preserved to last longer. He just hoped the old lady selling had some. It'd be a real pain if she didn't.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Ace said as he smiled, catching the old lady's attention. "I was wondering if you had any dried fruits to take on a sea voyage. Things that don't need to be stored in a fridge."

The old lady nodded and gave him a nice, kind smile. "Of course, young man. How long do you plan on being at sea? I'm afraid I don't have too much stock left."

"If I remember right, the next island's only a couple days away, isn't it? Three or four?"

"Just under four, if you have a fast ship," the lady said as she prepared his purchase. "I'd be careful, though, if I were you. I heard there was a dangerous man in the area. It's said he's taken over the next island over, and even the marines can do nothing about it."

"A dangerous man?" asked Luffy, speaking for the first time since they had got to the stall. He seemed unusually interested, if Ace thought about it. "What he's like?"

The lady turned to him, her eyes widening in surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry, young man. I didn't even notice you there!"

"He's a man so strong, no one but one of the admirals would be able to take him," a voice growled from behind the two boys.

Ace whirled around fast to face the newcomer, instinctively placing himself in front of Luffy. Standing in front of them was an old man, pale and pasty, like he hadn't seen the sun in years. He had bags under his eyes and was leaning on a cane to help support him. All in all, he wasn't very threatening. Still, Ace felt like something was…off…about him.

"Mizu!" the old lady exclaimed worriedly. "Are you sure you should be out and about so soon? You just recovered."

The old man waved her off. "This is the first time in a long time since I've been able to walk out into the sunlight without any repercussions, Kiko. I'm fine, and I'm not going back inside. I've only just recovered enough to be out here and there's no way in hell you're going to convince me otherwise."

Kiko, the old lady, sighed. "Whatever you say, Mizu," she said grudgingly. "But if you fall ill, then I'm sending for the doctor immediately, no matter what you say."

"Yeah, yeah," Mizu, the old man, grumbled. "I'll be fine."

"Excuse me," Ace interrupted, feeling rather impatient. "You said that the man from the other island was really strong, right? Is he a pirate?"

Mizu turned to Ace and Luffy, scanning both their faces. His eyes widened and Ace figured that the old man had probably recognized them. From behind Ace, Luffy had stuck his head out to peer around Ace's shoulder and had blinked wonderingly at Mizu's reaction.

"Hey, old man!" Luffy called. "You okay? You don't look very good."

Mizu shook his head, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "What are the likes of you doing on an island like this?" he sneered. "Was it not enough that Zelgius took away my home, but you two have to come and take away my temporary home as well?"

"Woah, slow down old man!" Luffy exclaimed. "What the hell are you even talking about? Zelga-what?"

"He said 'Zelgius', Luffy," Ace told his little brother. Luffy, in his interest, walked out from behind him so that he was more actively involved in the conversation. That, or he just didn't like the idea of being protected by his brother. "He's a man with a two hundred million beri bounty on his head."

"So is this guy super strong or something?" Luffy asked. "Why are people so afraid of him?"

"That man took over my island and reduced the marine captain heading the navy base to a mere shell of his former self," Mizu said gravely. Ace and Luffy listened intently as the man continued on with his story. "Zelgius is a man of terror for my home, Cobalt Island. From what I've heard, he's done terrible things to my friends and family. He's only been gone for a short time, but I've heard talk that he is soon to return."

"Wait, from what you've heard?" Ace asked, raising an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"Mizu was in a delicate state, you see," Kiko said, her eyes drifting to rest on the ground. "He wasn't able to make it home after his last voyage out at sea. He couldn't go out into the sunlight."

"That sounds really familiar."

Ace turned to look at his brother, who had a contemplative look on his face and a hand to his chin. "Luffy?"

Luffy shook his head violently, scrubbing a hand down his face in his frustration. "AH! Why can't I remember! This stupid amnesia thing needs to go away! It's killing me!"

Mizu's head snapped up. "Amnesia?"

"You first, Mizu," Ace said. "What was all that about you not being able to go out into the sunlight? Isn't that Moria's power? The warlord?"

Mizu sighed. "Yes. You see, I was a sailor. I accidentally drifted into the Florian Triangle one day and was caught by Moria's ship. They took mine and my men's shadows, but I was the only one to survive and make it back to land before the sunlight could disintegrate me. Unfortunately, I've been stuck here on this island, wasting away until someone managed to defeat Moria."

"So, someone defeated Moria and your shadow came back?" Ace clarified, wondering why his heart was beating so fast. He looked over to Luffy, who still had that confused, but thoughtful, look on his face. "Any idea, Luffy?" he barely dared to ask.

"Is Moria a zombie?" Luffy asked. "Like a really big one? Or is he the one who has those stupid bat shadow things?"

Ace could barely breathe. First Enies Lobby, and now Thriller Bark, too? This couldn't be happening. His little brother was jumping headlong into danger he shouldn't have. And while it was all great that his battle experience was making him stronger, Ace was afraid that another battle like that wouldn't bode well for his knuckle-headed brother.

"You fought him?" Mizu asked, looking surprised. "And defeated him?"

Luffy tilted his head. "…probably. Maybe. I can't really tell. Everything's kind of messed up, but I can kind of remember the shadow thing. I think. Plus there was a giant zombie and…HEY! THAT GUY STOLE MY SHADOW!"

Kiko and Mizu both jumped at Luffy's outburst, but Ace just groaned. So it was true. Luffy really did fight Moria and defeat him. But what was really interesting, was the rate Luffy's memories were coming back to him.

It was unfathomable to even think about. Just talking about his adventures had helped Luffy recover his memories in record time. It was something a regular amnesiac shouldn't be able to do. And, truth be told, it made Ace a little wary of this whole situation.

"Hey, Mizu," Ace called, capturing the old man's attention as Luffy continued to grumble in the background. "You seemed like you knew what was going on when Luffy talked about his amnesia. Care to share?"

Mizu was silent for a moment, looking Luffy up and down. Luffy barely noticed, though, too caught up in his anger over a past battle he had supposedly already wrapped up. That was another thing. Now that he was regaining his memories, it looked like the emotions they carried with them resurfaced temporarily as well.

Finally, Mizu spoke up. "Zelgius. It's Zelgius's customary move."

"What do you mean?" Ace asked curiously.

"In this area, Zelgius is notorious for using a strange power. And it was rumored that that was exactly the same how Zelgius took out the marine captain stationed on Cobalt Island. By taking away his memory," Mizu informed him. "Zelgius has supposedly eaten the Memory Memory Fruit, which has the power to scramble and erase memories at his command."

"So he might have done this to me?" Luffy asked, actually listening now that he was finished grumbling. "Why would he do that? I didn't do anything to him. Or at least, I don't think I did."

Mizu shrugged. "Who knows why a pirate would choose to fight another pirate? I am no hunted man like the two of you. And that brings me to my first and last question," the old man growled, pulling out a dagger from where it was sheathed on his hip under his shirt. "What are two notorious pirates doing on this island? Why are you here?"

Ace sighed. He had thought the old guy was over this already. Too bad. It looked like he had to talk him and his brother out of trouble again. _Just like old times, huh, Luffy?_ Ace thought.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys. Merry (late) Christmas and Happy (early) New Year!**

 **I'm so emotionally wrecked right now, it's not even funny. I have all of the ASL brotherly feels bubbling up inside me right now, and I just can't deal with anything right now. And so, this little chapter came out. I just recently rewatched the Episode of Sabo, and read all of Mithril Lace's and Beyond Kailani's (the absolute queens of ASL brotherly stories), and I just can't.**

 **On a happy note, I am planning on doing a one-shot (it may actually _not_ be a one-shot and could _possibly_ be the start of another story) for Ace's birthday, so keep on the look out for that.**

 **Also, one last thing, I'm looking for a beta for this story, so if you're interested PM me. Thanks!**

 **And thanks for the review, favs, and follows! You guys rock! :)**

* * *

That night, Luffy dreamt.

He dreamt of shadows and ghosts and zombies. Of a skeleton with nothing but a ship full of the dead to call home. Of a swordsman covered in wounds with no enemy in sight. Of a wonderfully adventurous place that brought nothing but _bloodpainhurt_ and of an agonizing haze that held him captive as he struggled to save what was _his_ —

—and then he awoke with a strangled cry, the memories trapped behind the wall forcing their way back to the forefront of his mind. He was too worked up over the day's events and it was obvious his memories had been stirred up, ready to assault him the moment he closed his eyes again.

Gasping for breath, Luffy placed a hand over his rapidly beating heart. He let his lids flutter shut, eyes ready to fly open the moment the memories came back to haunt him.

"Luffy?" Ace groaned from beside him. When Luffy didn't answer, the boy felt the bed shift underneath him, and he knew that Ace was sitting up next to him now, worried about his little brother.

Never in his life had Luffy felt more frustrated or lost. This whole thing was too much. And yet, according to his dreams, Luffy had gone through much worse. He and his friends had faced a _warlord_ and had come out of the experience alive—granted, just barely.

Still, something in him that _wasn't_ quite Luffy and yet at the same time _was_ , was telling him that he had taken on the world and won many times over again. Something like this should be nothing in comparison.

And yet, Luffy had never _lost_ himself. Sure he had felt lost before—probably—but that was nothing in comparison to this. Vital pieces of his very being were missing, and Luffy could only try and wait patiently for all of the missing pieces to come lock into place again. Luffy didn't _do_ patience.

"Luffy?" Ace tried again, and this time Luffy opened his eyes to stare at the man he was currently sharing a bed with. He had a very strong impulse to just curl up in a ball at Ace's side and never leave until his crew found him—because they _would_. Of that, he was sure. "You're not acting like yourself. Are you okay?"

Instead, Luffy just let his shoulders slump. "Sorry."

Ace blinked bewilderedly, looking more awake as his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. "For what?"

Luffy wasn't sure. It had just felt like he should say that. Maybe it was because he was being such a burden for his older brother, taking the man away from whatever he was doing before Luffy came into the picture on that deserted island. Or maybe because it was because he wasn't sure how to talk to his brother about how he was feeling.

 _You never did_ , that never ceasing voice whispered to him, and Luffy ignored it. He had plenty of practice by now. The voice never seemed to shut up, after all. And Luffy wasn't sure whether to be grateful or annoyed that it was always putting in its input, whatever the situation.

"I don't know," Luffy finally said.

Ace stared at him for a couple of silent seconds before sighing and slinging an arm around his shoulders. Tugged to lie down again, Luffy curled up against Ace's bare chest, letting his brother slowly pet his hair down.

"Is this about what happened in town?" Ace asked.

"You mean with the old man?"

"Yeah," Ace said, his petting slowing to a stop as he blinked down at Luffy. "Is it?"

" _And that brings me to my first and last question," the old man growled, pulling out a dagger from where it was sheathed on his hip under his shirt. "What are two notorious pirates doing on this island? Why are you here?"_

 _Ace, from where he was standing slightly in front of Luffy, sighed. And Luffy, just stepped back and let Ace do the talking._

" _We're just passing through," the Whitebeard Pirate assured the old geezer guy. "I promise you, we mean no harm. From what you said, Zelgius managed to take most of my brother's memories, and all we want to do is get them back."_

 _The old guy didn't look convinced, but he looked between Ace and Luffy suspiciously. "You two are brothers." Ace and Luffy nodded. "Well, that explains why Strawhat Luffy and Fire Fist Ace are acting all buddy buddy when the two are on different crews."_

" _Hey!" Luffy had yelled, pointing a finger at the old guy. "Just 'cause we're on different crews doesn't mean we can't be friends!"_

" _Shut up, you idiot," Ace muttered, bonking the rubber teen on his hatless head. He turned to the old geezer, bowing politely, just like Luffy—hazily—remembered Makino teaching them. Obviously, it had only stuck with the older. "I apologize for his behavior. As I said, he's missing a lot of his memories. And, as much as I think you'll hate this, I'd rather stay here for a night until we hear some more about this Zelgius guy."_

 _Luffy immediately started protesting. "Wha-? Ace!" he stomped his foot childishly. "You're kidding! That Zelga-guy is the one who did this to me! That means he can fix me!"_

 _A glare was all that sentence earned him. "Your memories are coming back to you quickly," Ace told him. "Going to him now will do nothing for us and will probably only serve to make sure that you lose your memories for sure. Do you want that?"_

 _Ace's voice had been quiet, but to Luffy, it was like his older brother was shouting at him, telling him things that made sense and disproved his logic. Luffy let himself relax, but grumpily looked away._

" _Fine."_

" _No!" the old geezer yelled. "Not fine! You guys are pirates and I want ya off my damn island!"_

" _But sir," Ace said, and at that moment, Luffy knew the pirate had won this battle, "like you said, this isn't really your home, and the next island is occupied by someone who can't be defeated by anyone but an admiral. Even if we_ are _pirates, would you condemn your savior, the one who beat Moria, and his brother to an early grave?"_

And that had been that. They had gotten a room at a nearby hotel, only getting a single room so as to not waste money. And it wasn't like the two minded sharing a bed. They were brothers, after all. Luffy didn't feel uncomfortable with Ace at all.

"Do you think I'm mad at you?" Ace asked.

Luffy's thoughts came speeding back to the present. "No," he said, realizing that Ace was still tense and waiting for an answer from the younger. "No. It's not that."

"Then what's wrong?" Ace asked. "Talk to me, Lu."

Inhaling sharply, Luffy buried his face in his brother's shoulder as the onslaught of memories started to assault him. Deserts and fire and castles and blood that should have been water. But blood worked just as well—

Luffy blinked away the memories of a barren kingdom that was slowly dying from the lack of water and the internal strife that called for civil war. This was all so disorienting. His mind was screaming at him to watch all of these blurred memories, but his body was telling him to just take a moment to _breathe_.

"I don't even know anymore," Luffy admitted, his voice muffled by Ace's shoulder, but he was sure the other heard him fine. "My head is killing me and they just won't _stop-_ "

Luffy cut himself off as he lifted his head to stare into his brother's concerned eyes. He felt his own become dangerously watery and blinked harshly to cut down the possibility of crying. He wasn't the same as that little kid who cried all the time.

" _You're such a crybaby!"_

" _Sabo! Ace is being mean!"_

" _Lighten up, Ace. He's only seven."_

" _Yeah Ace! I'm only seven! When I'm ten like you I won't cry anymore!"_

" _I didn't cry when I was seven! And that still makes you a crybaby! Don't compare yourself to me, idiot!"_

Luffy groaned and clutched his aching head as the memories from what had to be ten years ago attacked him again. As much as he was glad he was starting to regain who he was, Luffy just wanted a breather from these strange attacks. Even his dreams brought more memories to fill his throbbing brain with more information. Luffy just wasn't used to this much thinking.

And if that wasn't enough, the desperate compulsion to get his memories back battling against the frantic need to just take a moment to _be himself_ for two minutes was exhausting. He just wanted to sleep.

"Luffy?" Ace asked, alarmed and bringing the two of them to sit up again. Carefully, the older put his hand over Luffy's where it was still cupping his forehead. "Are you alright? What's wrong?"

"'M not a crybaby," Luffy muttered, still trying to regain his bearings.

Ace smiled wryly. "Sure you're not, Luffy. After all, you're not seven anymore, are you?"

Luffy shook his head, careful not to dislodge his or Ace's hand from where they were still cupping his forehead. He didn't want to admit how much it was pounding. Especially not to his brother, but he wasn't willing to let it go, either. He figured that would just make the pain worse.

"I just want all of this to stop, Ace," Luffy said suddenly into the gloom of the hotel room, catching both himself and his brother by surprise. Still, even though he wasn't sure what brought about this weird determination inside of him, Luffy didn't waver. " I want…I want to get my memories back, but I want to be _me_ again."

"Be you again?" Ace asked, bemused. "What do you mean?"

Luffy shrugged. "I don't know. I…I don't feel like myself. And I have a bad feeling."

Ace was looking at Luffy warily, but the look melted into an exasperated one. Ruffling his brother's hair, Ace pulled him to lie down once again. "Alright, Luffy. How about instead of focusing on that Zelgius guy, we find your crew like we were going to before. We need to make sure your memories come back before you even think about taking that guy head on. We'll make sure you feel like _you_ again, got it?"

Luffy nodded, relaxing into his brother's warmth. His eyelids drooped as he tried to hold back a yawn. It felt like he hadn't slept in ages. "'Kay."

Ace chuckled, kissing the top of Luffy's head. "Good night, Lu. Sweet dreams."

But Luffy was already asleep.

* * *

Zoro was angry.

No, he wasn't angry. He was _pissed_. Mostly at himself, if he was being honest. He had been tasked with a simple job. All he had to do was guard the injured guy and subdue him if he turned out to be a threat. And what had he done? Let his guard down enough for the guy to touch him and muddle his memory, placing his crew in danger, that's what.

" _Where am I?"_

" _A ship called the Thousand Sunny."_

" _Is that a pirate ship?"_

" _Yeah."_

" _So that means you're a pirate."_

" _That's usually what it means to be on a pirate ship."_

 _The man grinned then. Feral and vicious, and Zoro found himself too slow to get out of the way._

" _Perfect."_

And the next thing Zoro knew, he was waking up to absolute chaos. The man _Zoro_ was supposed to be guarding, had gone on a rampage, and Chopper was yelling at everyone not to let the guy touch him, and Zoro couldn't help but remember the confusion and darkness he had been subjected to in those few seconds after being touched. The swordsman bared his teeth.

This man would pay. Long range or not, Zoro fought with swords, and slicing through the man's flesh would be his _pleasure_. If only it could make up for his stupid mistake. But nothing could. Because Zoro had been a moment too slow keeping on his guard, and now the whole crew was suffering for it.

And as Zoro dived back into the watery depths, desperate to find his captain that had been thrown overboard and was somehow nowhere to be seen, the swordsman couldn't help but think of how broken the crew was because of his mistake.

Usopp was lying in the infirmary, barely conscious as he dealt with blood loss and stitches. Nami was lying unconscious in the girls' room, seeing as they were unable to wake her up after she smacked her head against the rail, leaving blood smeared on the wood. No one bothered to clean it up.

The rest of the crew hadn't been harmed too much, besides a couple of bumps and bruises to their pride and their hearts. Zoro, still recovering from his wounds from Thriller Bark, had probably been the worst off after Nami and Usopp, but he refused Chopper's treatment when the little reindeer offered to check him over again.

No, he couldn't think about treatment for himself when Luffy was out there somewhere, maybe experiencing the same confusion and darkness as he had. And yet, Zoro knew that if the captain was experiencing what Zoro had, then it was probably on a much larger scale.

The rubber teen had been smacked off the ship with a lot more force than the little tap the enemy had given Zoro before.

And the worst part was, the Strawhats couldn't even get any semblance of revenge. They had all been distracted by Luffy's flight, but when they turned back to their enemy, he had vanished. Just gone.

Zoro had wasted no time at all jumping into the salty depths that threatened to consume Luffy, condemning him to a watery grave. After all, that was Zoro's job, wasn't it? Luffy trusted him enough to always jump in after him. Trusted him enough to save his laugh.

And now, hours later, Zoro was no closer to finding his captain than he had when he first dived in.

"Idiot!" Sanji yelled down at him as soon as Zoro broke the surface, and Zoro knew that the cook was just as pissed as he was, that anger more than likely directed at himself rather than the swordsman. "Are you even trying?!"

"Shut up, dartboard," Zoro called up automatically. "If you think you can do better, come try."

And without out waiting for the cook's answer, Zoro dove back in the water. He could barely see anything, but that was hardly going to stop him. His captain was alive somewhere. He wasn't dead, and Zoro was going to find him. No matter what.

He was out of breath again, and finally, Zoro had to admit that this wasn't working. If Luffy was still underwater, then he was dead. And Zoro refused to believe that Luffy was dead, so that meant that Luffy wasn't here anymore. It was time to move on. Find an island that Luffy could have managed to wash up on and hope for the best.

No. _Believe in Luffy. Have faith him_. There would be no hoping, just believing. His captain was alive, and the crew would all wait for him to find them. The Strawhat Pirates, so used to running after their wayward captain, would slow down and wait for the same captain to catch up.

"Zoro?"

The swordsman glanced down at Chopper, who was changing his soggy bandages in the kitchen. He didn't remember how he had gotten here, nor how he let Chopper coerce him into getting his bandages changed, but he let it slide. Obviously, it wasn't all that important.

"What is it?" he asked.

Chopper stopped what he was doing and looked up at the swordsman, eyes wide and watery. "What do you think Luffy is doing now?"

"Probably eating everything in sight," Sanji said from where he was cooking the crew a meal packed with plenty of nutrients so they would heal better. So they would _function_ better.

Despite being separated from Luffy numerous times, all the crew was feeling the missing hole in their hearts at the boy's sudden disappearance. And Sanji, being a cook, had probably wanted to stuff that hole full of high-energy food, the idiot. What they really needed was some sake.

"You really think so?" Chopper asked, resuming winding the bandages around Zoro's held out arm. "I mean, it's been over a day. You don't think that he would do anything reckless, would you?"

Sanji chuckled. "It's Luffy, Chopper. I'd be more surprised if he _wasn't_ doing something reckless."

Chopper looked at the swordsman. "Zoro?" he asked hopefully.

Zoro sighed as Chopper finished wrapping his bandages. He looked at the reindeer doctor who looked so lost and desperate. He didn't know why the reindeer was looking to _him_ when it was so blatantly obvious that Zoro didn't know.

But Zoro answered anyways. "He's Luffy," he breathed. "And he's fighting his way back to us with every ounce of his strength."

* * *

Ace wasn't sure what had really happened last night, if he was being honest. Luffy's quiet, sorrowful moods were few and far between, and especially after a three year separation—because, _really_ , did a few days in Alabasta actually count?—Ace was just out of practice. As much as Luffy needed to familiarize himself with his newfound brother, Ace needed to familiarize himself with Luffy, it seemed.

"Ace! Come check this out! It's an octopus!"

He was just glad that Luffy was back to his bright self, even if he was missing more than a few memories. Ace got the feeling that he hadn't actually handled the situation the night before as well as he should have.

"Yeah, yeah, Luffy," Ace called out to the boy practically bouncing on his toes. "I'm coming."

Letting Luffy lead him to another exotic seafood stand, Ace could only chuckle as he indulged his little brother. There was nothing better to pick up both his and Luffy's moods than spoiling Luffy rotten. And that meant letting Luffy eat as much as he wanted.

At least, usually it would. But that was something else Ace was worried about. Luffy was eating a _normal_ amount. A _normal_ amount that a _normal_ human being, one that did not consume the Gum Gum Fruit and turn into a rubber man, would eat. Luffy wasn't normal. Not even close to it. Ace was worried the boy was starving, always exerting so much energy yet not eating enough to make up for that lost energy.

But Luffy didn't seem to mind. And that was driving Ace up the wall. He was going to go insane, if this kept him, he felt.

"Luffy," Ace mused, catching the hatless—yet another thing to worry about—boy's attention. "Are you sure you're not hungry. I'll buy you something."

Shrugging, Luffy just kept pulling him along towards the next stand, which looked like a puppet show—in the middle of a food market, though? Weird—and said, "I had enough at breakfast."

"Yes, but that was two hours ago," Ace worried distractedly. "And all you had was an omelet and some toast. Don't you want some meat?"

And when Luffy just cackled as one of the puppets hit the other on the head with an inflatable hammer, not even paying attention to his concerned brother, Ace threw his hands up in the air, exasperated.

A shiver ran down his spine, then, and Ace's stomach filled with dread. Eyes roved the area as the fire user struggled to figure out what it was that had given him that sort of feeling. When he caught sight of a man, half shadowed as he stood in the opening to an alleyway, Ace couldn't help but grit his teeth.

 _Dammit_ , he thought. _Dammit, dammit, dammit._

"Ace?"

Dark eyes snapped to Luffy's troubled expression. Luffy was scrunching his brow in bewilderment as he took in Ace's tense form, trembling fists, and clenched jaw. Ace inhaled loudly, held his breath, and let his body relax with his exhale. He couldn't let himself get worked up over something he couldn't control. He just had to figure out a way around the problem. He could do that.

But that usually required an escape route, now that he thought about it, and Ace's only escape route was the little skiff that wasn't yet stocked with the supplies they needed to reach the next island. Setting sail now wouldn't do anything but kill the two brothers by starvation.

"Come on."

Ace grabbed Luffy's hand and practically dragged the younger behind him, making his way back to where he knew the hotel was. Luffy didn't say anything. He just let himself be manhandled away from the puppet show.

But before Ace could make it more than ten feet, a voice belonging to the man in the alleyway that Ace had prayed wouldn't notice them, called out to the two brothers, halting them in their tracks.

"Well, isn't this a nice reunion," the voice drawled, a puff of smoke accompanying the words on the man's breath. "Isn't it, Fire Fist Ace. Strawhat Luffy."

Ace stiffened, and settled his glare on the man slowly making himself known to the pirates. Growling, the fire user just stepped back another step, still holding Luffy's wrist in a death grip—well, it wasn't like he could feel it, right? The teen was rubber.

"And what the hell are you doing here?" Ace snarled.

The man smirked, and stepped fully out into the light, revealing the marine known as Captain Smoker.

"Strawhat, Fire Fist, you're coming with me."

* * *

 **Okay, so who saw that coming? No one, I hope. I didn't really hint at it, and it just kind of happened. Sorrynotsorry. Anyways, this leaves our brotherly duo in a little bit of a bind, now doesn't it?**

 **I'm pretty sure I managed to reply to everyone's review, but if I didn't I am SO sorry! Anyways, I just want to take the time to say that you guys are REALLY SUPER AWESOME. Seriously. Thanks so much for all of the support!**


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